Observe the painting shown above and read the passage given below.
This is a Puranic (ancient mythological stories) theme painting. This scene is taken from Valmiki Ramayana, where Rama needs to build a bridge in southern India to the island of Lanka for his army to cross the ocean. He prays to the God of Ocean to permit him to cross the ocean, but the God does not respond. Then, in anger, Rama stands to shoot his fiery arrow into the ocean.
The artist of this painting was one of the first Indian painters to use oil paint. Which art did he also master for mythological subjects?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Lithographic reproduction
The painting is Rama Vanquishing the Pride of the Ocean by Raja Ravi Varma.
Option (1) Wash painting technique — Incorrect. Abanindranath Tagore invented the wash painting technique, which gives a soft, misty effect. It is not linked to Varma.
Option (2) Lithographic reproduction — Correct. Besides using oil paint, Varma mastered lithographic reproduction for mythological subjects.
Option (3) Woodcut illustration — Incorrect. Nandalal Bose illustrated Bengali primers with woodcuts.
Option (4) Cubist painting — Incorrect. Gaganendranath Tagore used the Cubist style, with building interiors made of geometric patterns.
NCERT (2026-27): “Rama Vanquishing the Pride of the Ocean This is a Puranic (ancient mythological stories) theme painted by Raja Ravi Varma. He was one of the first Indian painters to use oil paint and master the art of lithographic reproduction for mythological subject. These paintings are, generally, large ones, depicting a historic moment or scene from an epic or a classical text, painted in the midst of a dramatic action.”
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